December 1690-March 1691 Summary

Thomas Carrier delivers Sarah and Hannah by hay wagon to Uncle Roger and Aunt Mary Toothaker in Andover, hands a letter from Grandmother to Mary, then turns his wagon back toward Billerica with an admonition to Sarah to be good and help her hosts. Right away, it is apparent that Uncle Roger——a physician—is a great story teller and would rather entertain people with his tales than do any of the gritty work of running a farm. One of these discourses, about the ferocious killing of Narragansett braves by colonists, rises the hair on Sarah's neck—especially when her uncle pulls up his shirt to reveal a broad scar across his chest from one of these Indian battles. Sarah also notes wistfully that her own family experiences only "dryness [and] harshness," while her cousin Margaret's is...